Inspiration from three boys surviving 50 days at sea

December is nearly upon us and entering the Christmas spirit I have decided to express how in my life recently I have been inspired. Although this November has brought bad news for most of us: higher energy bills, coverage of the conflict in Korea, further Wikileakes, student protests getting out of control, Ireland going from boom to bust and only this weekend the warning of severe weather conditions.

However, as the cold weather causes a chill, we need the spirit of people to keep us warm.

Reading articles from the past week I came upon a story of survival of three young boys stuck at sea for fifty days. Only two weeks prior, five hundred people, friends and family had mourned for the three “dead” boys. I cannot even begin to comprehend the feeling of losing a friend, son or nephew. Then the relief/elation/awe/hysteria when you find out they are still alive. These four adjectives do not even come close to understanding or describing the feelings these people went through. It is mind-blowing to say the very least.

The three boys survived on coconuts, a tarpaulin for rainwater and luckily they managed to catch a seagull for food. This story really did stop me in my tracks. The boys must have been both mentally and physically challenged in those fifty days and whilst we were probably at work, school or going about our daily lives, they were fighting for their lives. Heart wrenching stories such as this make you appreciate your life and from this we can learn to help others.

On a slightly different tangent, it can be inspiring to hear other people praise you or in a different sense a group of people, students. In a tired, delirious state on Thursday 26th November at 11pm three fellow students and myself piled into a taxi. During the taxi ride the driver praised our efforts as students. We had worked solidly for a whole day on a group project, distributed the work load and made the most of the resources the University provides for students. The taxi driver said not only had we reassured him that not all students “get drunk” or “smash windows to protest” but are hard-working and committed. He did state a local newspaper that had contributed to his previous assumption; but I do not wish to name it for I will fall into the (‘bad’) pool of students. This conversation may be overlooked but it makes you realise, as did the story above, that every moment we are on this earth serves a purpose as one or more people can be affected by our actions. Living such busy lives we may not realise it, so entering the Christmas month make someone else’s day…